Steak Enthusiast

This weekend, we wanted to try something new with our Kansas City strips. We were feeling adventurous so we put the kids to bed and began our journey.

Little did we know our grill had already decided it had grilled its last steak — the LAST TIME we had steaks.

So after many attempts to light it we decided to call our neighbor Eddie and beg to borrow his grill. He wasn’t home but he said it was okay to use it. So my husband braved the darkness and grilled our strips by flashlight in our neighbor’s yard.

It was around 9:30 pm by this time.

I prepared the rest of the meal and when he came back with our steaks it all seemed worth it.

We used the Citrus-Maple Marinade I mentioned in yesterday’s post. It was so yummy and the fruit flavor was not overwhelming. It was just right.

Here it is in all its glory . . .

There’s not much we wouldn’t do for a steak. It is a good thing we asked permission first because it could have been ugly when Eddie came home and saw a dark figure grilling in his back yard.

All’s well that ends well, right???

Frances wrote us to ask if we had any ideas for a steak marinade that DID NOT include soy sauce, garlic, packaged marinades or fresh ginger root.

The answer is a resounding “Yes!”

There are so many options to create sensational flavors for your steaks. Below, I’ve posted 8 links to some marinades that have amazing ingredients — other than the ones Frances is concerned about.

Also, check out the “Marinades” link in the Categories box to the right. There are lots of great ideas there. And click on “Recipes” and “Rubs” to find even more.

The marinades below run the gamut from citrusy to spicy and everything in between.

Stay tuned tomorrow and I’ll show you what marinade I used this weekend. Mmmmm.

Mango Curry Marinade & Sauce

Citrus-Maple Marinade

Spicy Steak Marinade

Tender and Tasty Marinade

Jen’s Marinade

Pineapple-Rum Caribbean Steak Marinade

Mikey’s Smokin Steak

Balsamic Bliss

When you’re preparing steaks for a crowd, one of the toughest things to master is the art of getting the food on the table in a timely manner while making sure the meat is still hot and at its tastiest.

This article at AllRecipes.com gives us great advice on how to cook your steaks in stages so that they aren’t too rare or too well done by the time it’s chow time.

For instance, did you know that many chefs sprinkle sugar on their steaks to speed up the browning or searing process? Then, they put the steaks (browned only on the outside) in a warming oven until they are ready to be served. The warming oven then cooks the inside slowly at just the right pace.

The steaks are cooked and warm when YOU decide it’s time to serve them. Sugar! Who knew?

This sounds like a great way to do a filet mignon. Its rich thickness will do well slowly cooking in the oven. And the seared sugar process? Oh, yum!

Read more tips for being the BEST PARTY HOST EVER right here:

http://allrecipes.com/HowTo/Great-Steak—How-to-Cook-for-a-Crowd/Detail.aspx

Have a happy weekend!